Zqueeze1

Under great duress and threat of severe flogging, Inga remained true to her promise and travelled with one LARGE suitcase and a carry on. So who picked one suitcase in the pool? She has improved greatly over her former travel days. In regards to the statue, I am sure it has more of a passing resemblance to you, my friend. Z and TB

Ok. I will have to google it. Are they there to see me? Z and TB

WE MADE IT! Thirty minutes from stepping off the cab to stepping onboard. We have a glass of champagne in our hands and are waiting for La Veranda to open at 1200. Z and TB

We have always take. A tour of the various decks on our own. I’ve never heard of an official ship’s tour. Z and TB

Good Morning: today is sail away day. Yaaaay! We are excited to board the Splendor and see it’s fine lines for the first time. As you all know, it takes some planning to organize these cruises. In my case, I use the following Excel spreadsheets to stay on track: Also, in regards to our cruise, we are headed to various Northern European ports as per itinerary below. These are our planned excursions. Of note, is the visit to a concentration camp while in Kiel, Germany. We are heading out to the Splendor ate 1100 and are excited to see the ship and any crew members we may know. Tomorrow: sea day and I sport my new mankini. Z and TB

Here are some more pics of Hamble Le Rice. We thoroughly enjoyed walking the streets although it is a small village, but so picturesque. Too bad that many places were closed on Mondays. RANT TIME: it cost 17 pounds to get to the village via Uber. On the return it ballooned to a whopping 34 pounds! Of course I paid for it because I had to go potty!!! Later we went to the Duke of Wellington for a late lunch/early dinner. This is our second time eating there and it did not disappoint. This pub is located in a building constructed in 1200s! We met a nice couple there who said we should see the American wall where GIs on their way to Normandy etched out their names. it was a moving experience. Tomorrow: the madness of my planning. Z and TB

Living in Florida means that it is a little cool for me although it is such a beautiful day here in Hamble Le Rice. What a charming village. We are sitting at the King and Queen pub enjoying this glorious day. Z and TB

Good Morning: this is another beautiful sunny day like Saturday. The weather temps fluctuate from 65 to 75F making it great for walking. Today we are heading out to Hamble Le Rice, which is a coastal village east of Southampton. We plan to walk the streets and have lunch at the King and Queen (Recommendations are appreciated) before returning on an Uber. Will report on how that goes later. After meeting a nice couple from Toronto, I had a few pints with them and slept like a baby. For once in my life I beat TB since she was up several hours reading and cross-stitching due to her lengthy afternoon nap. The hotel continues to fill up with cruisers heading out on Princess cruises today and tomorrow. We have not met anyone going on Regent as of yet. Breakfast is the same English breakfast every day and I’m starting to look the part. Time to wake up Inga. Tomorrow: we board the Splendor. Z and TB

So, no one told me that it takes trains, planes, and automobiles to get to Stonehenge. From hotel to the stones took about two and a half hours and we only spent forty five minutes looking at the stones. But, I have to admit that it was very well worth the trip. It was awe inspiring and very calming to view with a hint of magic and mysticism thrown in. Here is a pic of what it should look like: Compared to how it looks on a drizzly day like today: Also, if you look closely at the entrance stone, it looks like sharky: Our first leg was a ten minute walk to the train station that was more like twenty minutes. On the way, we saw some of the fattest pigeons we’ve ever seen. I thought they were pheasants at first (inner city kid). Our second leg was onboard a train which gave us great views of the magnificent English countryside. When we arrived at Salisbury to switch from train to bus, we were met by the official furry Stonehenge greeter: After our return to Southampton, we did the Bataan death march to get some chow. We ended up at the Red Lion pub again and had their steak and ale pie: It was superb. We also ran into this British character who has been inebriated for two straight days. I wish I had a pic of him. Tomorrow: Explore English villages and Inga goes shopping. Z and TB

Would love to join yous, but we will be in Charleston for a college reunion. Have a great trip and send pics! Z and TB

Hi Rachel! We used a private car service called Airport Pickups London and they charged 144 pounds for the 75 minute drive to our hotel in Southampton. Great ride and we felt well taken care of. Z and TB

Going back to our flight from JFK, it was great. The food was very good as well as the service although a little slow. We spent yesterday afternoon walking around Southampton and tasting the local brews. We ended up at the Duke of Wellington pub for fish and chips: Before passing out. Holy Morpheus! I slept twelve hours last night! It was awesome although the dreams were weird. About our hotel: we are at the Moxy by Marriott. It’s a little like the Addams Family meet the Jetsons. Quirky and modern. The room is smaller than the smallest Regent cabin and we found a box in there that turned out to be the shower (small). Breakfast is included for a nominal additional fee and it includes the most unusual tasting sausage I’ve ever had. However, the staff is very friendly and helpful. Would I stay here again? The jury is out on that one. Today: TB gets to get one of her bucket list items out of the way, Stonehenge. Z and TB

We made it to England! We are dog tired since we did not sleep during the flight. We are having a pint in our hotel and going out for chow. The local drunk gave us an official Southampton welcome and we can’t find fish and chips! Will update everyone later. Good pub: Red Lion Tomorrow: Stonehenge Z and TB

Hah! The joke is on you. I don’t look like that anymore. I’m old and fat with bulging cankles. Miss you, bro. Z and TB

I couldn’t figure out what to do with my empty beer bottles in the lounge, so I decided to become artsy with them. Z and TB

Today is the day! Strike up the band and let’s hit the road. We are flying business class on American Airlines using frequent flyer miles. We are flying on a 777-300ER from JFK to London which is a great plane and provides Flagship service. That’s the airline’s name for their premium service in business. Of course, I will stay up the whole night while TB sleeps like a baby. She can sleep in the middle of a war zone with no problem. After a 35 minute wait for security we headed to the lounge for some chow. The Miami Flagship lounge has a light pastel motif and I was pleased to see that it was not crowded. There is an ample selection of warm and cold breakfast items to include an omelet station. Sorry, no food porn. We left the lounge and arrived twelve minutes before the scheduled boarding time. At the two minute marker, we were notified that the aircraft was arriving late and required some maintenance. Eventually, we took off forty five minutes late and proceeded to go through the worst turbulence I’ve ever experienced. The Boss left claw marks in my arm. We actually landed on time and headed to the Flagship Lounge. It is a crowded chocolate mess. No water or glasses but plenty of food and booze. Way too many people for my comfort. I did a wonderful Bordeaux to keep me company. Here is TB in one of her rare moments of wakefulness. Upon boarding the Splendor she wants to be known as Inga and wants me to be known as Swen under much duress (hint: not going to happen). Next stop: London and a long ride to Southampton. Z and TB

You are going to love Regent. We are happy customers. Not everything is perfect; but, hey, neither am I. The best thing is the feeling of being among family. I hope not to taint your expectations, but I’m an optimist. Have a great cruise. Z and TB

We wish you were here onboard with us, too! We could make fun of the stick people and drink the ship dry. Love yous. Z and TB

Son, we will bring you a troll key chain and you will like it. Stay away from my good rum in the house. Love you. Dad

We moved to PSL last November into an apartment until our house was completed in March at Riverside. MUCH better quality of life than when we lived in the Miami suburbs. Z and TB

We sure miss you and your lovely sister. Can’t wait until we can get together again. Love yous. Z and TB

I will try to remember to post about the weather. As far as clothing is concerned, I brought my usual tour clothes plus a light jacket and sweater. I figure that I will layer clothes. I have thin Florida blood, so anything under 70F is too cold for me. Z and TB

Thanks to everyone for their kind words and anniversary wishes. It means a lot to us. We made it to Miami in one piece despite heavy downpours along the dreaded I-95. Now we need to contend with the smoke in NYC tomorrow. I took TB to a late lunch at Versailles, a famous Cuban restaurant in Little Havana. She strapped on the feedbag and chowed down like a cute little hungry hippo. Afterwards, she took a nice three hour zombie nap. Tomorrow: fly away day and TB changes her name. Z and TB

Good Morning. It is finally the day that we depart for our fourteenth Regent cruise. We are cruising on Tuesday for ten days from Southampton, UK to Stockholm, Sweden onboard the Splendor. During this cruise, we are celebrating our fortieth wedding anniversary We plan to travel to Miami today from Port St Lucie, FL and spend the night at the Marriott. Tomorrow we fly to London via JFK, which has us worried due to the smoke issues in the northeastern US. Once we arrive in the UK, we plan to tour the English countryside for three days prior to boarding. I hope that fellow cruisers jump onto this thread and collaborate so we can get their perspective of the cruise and travels. Also, please ask away with any questions. One rule I have is to please be considerate of others and let’s all have a great time. So, let’s set the table: we are retired and enjoying the many blessings we have. I am Roberto (aka Zqueeze or Z) and The Boss (TB) is my lovely wife, Pamela. We hope to share our trip with fellow cruisers and have a few laughs through my corny reporting. I took it upon myself to pack the car and, we’ll, it didn’t work out too well: It turns out we really need an Acme moving truck to carry TB’s luggage. When I questioned her packing thought process, she said that “a girl needs options.” Before we cruise, I’ll fill everyone in on our itinerary as well as what kind of trouble we can brew up in England. Stay safe. Z and TB

GP: thank you so much for sharing your cruise with us. Your reporting is funny and interesting and you had me won over with the food porn pics. Pass a thanks for your service to your husband. I’m also retired USAF and loved every minute of it and am grateful for having a strong wife to have put up with the lifestyle. We will be on the Splendor in 31 one days, so save us some lobster and champagne. Enjoy the rest of your cruise and we will be following along. Z and TB